THE TEMPLE OF DEATH.

Press, Volume L, Issue 8482, 13 May 1893, Page 2

THE TEMPLE OF DEATH.

By Edmund Mitchell. (Continued from last Saturday.)

CHAPTER XXll.—Morabai's Destiny.

When we reached the camp afternoon tea was ready for us in the shamiana, and we sent a message to Mr Suddleigh, notifying him of Sophie's arrival, arid leaving it to him to arrauge the best plan for his joining us unobserved. This he speedily oiFected, for ere many minutes had passed ho entered the tent iv the disguise of Chundoo, which we had formerly seen birn assume, and while we conversed the real Chundoo kept watch at the door to prevent our consultation being Interrupted. We had been in some doubt whether the wiser course would be first to tell Sophie's news to Mr Suddleigh, or to defer doing so until we had heard the story of his last night's adventure. Mr Suddleigh himself, however, solved the difficulty by at once opening the conversation. " Mi3s Sophie," he said, " it is all important that I should see yon, hence the main reason of my visit to the camp. I don't know whether your broilier has yet told you anything of* what occurred last night," he continued in a cone of query.

"Not a word as yet," said Chris. " Well, theu," continued Mr Suddleigh, "I must, far Sophie's beneus, give you some preliminary details, though I have no doubt Hassan has communicated these to you, Chris and HaL After you left _ie the night before iast, you will remember that, the hideous ritual over, matters in the Temple of Tama had assumed their routine aspect, the general body of priests haviug gone, and the eight watciiers alone remaining to guard the god. I stayed some little time on our vantage platform, watshing tbe now familiar scene, when I wan eurprisedgto behold the chief priest returning to tbe temple. He took his stand out.-d-le the rampart of skulls, and. facing the deity, invoked it iv a loud voice, the watchers all the while remaining perfectly motionless in their places. Now that there was absolute silence throughout tbe cave, aud with the priest standing considerably nearer to mc than before, I bad little difficulty in catching the import of his words. From them I learned that the next night he would make to the god an announcement whicb would placate the deity even more than the tribute of skulls that had just been offered up ac the altar. I need not tronble you with the rest of the discourse 'I hat was the one kernel of information in it that was to mc invaluable. "On theDuwan's retirement I thought out my plans, and I saw from the first it would be absolutely necessary for mc to hear the terms of the announcement which the Dewan intended to make to the god. I further reflected that, amidst the din of the ritual, it would be useless to expect that from our distant watching place I could understand any invocation or address uttered by the High Priest. I accordingly came to the conclusion that it would be necessary for mc, either by some subterfuge or by a bold act, to take the place of one of the custodians of the altar prior to the arrival of the general body of the priesthood. I had so carefully observed all their actions during previous performances of their strange worship that. I felt pretty confident that, once in the place of one of the watchers, I would succeed, ia escaping detection. In the matter of the dauce, perhaps, I might have failed, but the plan I proposed was to avoid taking part in it by seising an opportunity to conceal myself behind the rampart of the skulls. »

Youknow,Chri's,and Hall.in thesceneof infernal din and confusion that accompanies the dance, tbe absence of any one of the hundred would not be likely to bo detected at the moment. However, in any case, I speedily made up my mind that, be the risks what they might, I would encounter them. My next step waj to take Hassan into my confidence. I had of necessity to get him to share tbe danger, for there was a preliminary task requiring strength and youthful vigour which I do not possess. Hassan is quite a skilled chloroformist, for, as you know. lam a bit of a surgeon as well as a doctor, and in ray 20 years of wanderings I have performed many operations in remote parts of India, Hassan on these occasions being my active and intelligent assistant. My idea was that this lithe and agile fellow could creep up to one of the sleeping watchers on a favourable opportunity, render him insensible by making mm breathe tbe fumes of chloroform, and then drag him away into the darkness. We could then secure him as a prisoner in one of the remote chambers of the series of caves, while I took his place at tho altar, and I further hoped that in due course some invaluable information could be extorted from such a captive. Events, however, turned out differently, aud as you doubtless know—at least you two, Chris and Hal, Hassan did not merely chloroform the priests—but he struck him to the heart with a dagger, and killed Sophie, who was listening with pale and intent face, gave a little shudder, but Mr Suddleigh, who was looking towards us, did not observe the movement, and cou- " There can be no doubt that Hassan was compelled to do this deed, otherwise his presence would have been betrayed, and our whole plans endangered, probably every one of our whole Uvea sacrificed. He cannot, therefore, bo blamed for the act of assassination, regrettable though it was, so we must let it pass. When Hassan dragged the dead body from the temple, I speedily assumed the clothes the priest had worn, and without much difficulty completed my disguse, so as to make myself a tolerable imitation of the original, as'seen at least in the semi-darkness of the torch-lighted cavern. A very few minutes sufficed for completing my preparations, and all that remained for mc to do was to creep 'out and take the place where the watcher had previously reclined. This I succeeded in accomplishing without mishap. As the hours of the afternoon wore away, I felt quite sure you had returned to the caves, and had heard Hassan's story. At one time, indeed, a sort of subtle magnetic influence seemed to tell mc that you wera gazing upon mc as I lay at the edge of the golden pavement, and I fixed my eyes on the spot where I knew the gallery to be, feeling assured that your frieudly faces were at that'moment turned towards miae."

" By Jove," I Interrupted, " do you know that precisely the same sentiments filled my heart when wo were looking down upon your prostrnte figure? I felt sure that in your terrible position of danger you experienced some satisfaction iv Knowing that loviug friends were anxiously watching you and praying for your safe deliverance."

" Well," resumed Mr Suddleigh, "time is of importance at the present moment, and now we cannot stop to discuss the subtle problem of how mind may affect mind, even at a distance. Some day, God willing, we may have leisure and heart to compare our reminisceuces and talk of these things. To continue my narrative, you know how the long hours passed right up to midnight—though I could only guess it was midnight—without interruption in the temple. My plans were considerably helped by this, for even the usual dance around the altar of the god was suspended, in view evidently of something momentous which was to occur later on. In fact, this wa« clearly nothing more or less than the address of the High Priest to the Death God, Tama. You, of course, will have witnessed this «cene, so I need not now describe it. When the Dewan entered I was keenly alert to imitate the movements and actions of rhe other watcher*, and so disarm suspicion as to my re il identity. This I succeeded in doing, and when the whole of the hundred priests lay prostrate around the image of the god, neither he to right ot mc nor he to left of ne imagined for a moment that an absolute stranger lay stretched by his side iv that place of dread mystery.

"Some day I shall write down nnd shall read to you, with such exactitude as my memory will permit, the whole incantation which the high priest delivered 10 th<- god of his worship. For the present I shall only .say tha*. it was a most marvellous addresH, revealing facts hitherto qr.ite unknown outside, the brotherhood of this mysterious sect, and some of which have an important bearing on the com ct understanding of certain religious problems ia the Ease. But of that more some other day, if I am fated to come out alive from the ordeal through which I must still pass."

Here Mr Suddleigh paused, leaned his head upon his arm aud remained some moments in thought.

We were aU too deeply impressed with tho solemnity of his words to utter onu jarring note of interruption. After a time our old friend resumed—

! "Now you will have conclusive proof of what I in my mind for weeks past have been fully convinced of, namely, that Morabai is most certainly none other than my lost daughter Eileen. But it came as a terrible shock to mc, as it doubtless will to you, to learn the truly fiendish purpose for which this man, Turaki Munguldas, Dewan and High Priest, has nutured hor for all these years. From the iuvocaiiuu Jie addressed to the god, I came to know that every 800 moons, in other words e*ery twenty-five years, It is iucunfbent upon the High Priest of Yaina to offer, as a living sacrifice to tho blood thirsty deity, a maiden of the fair race that dwell beyond the confines of India. I gleaned that it is customary for the skulls of deceased priests or murdered men to be presented to the god at frequent intervals, aud added to the hideous rampart that surrounds the altar, but this supreme living sacrifice takes place only once in a generation. I further learned that the due observance Of this dreadful rite is a matter of vital importance to the High Priest, for, failing his provision of a victim he himself becomes a sacrifice to the Death God.

"In his address to Yam a aud the priest' hood the Dewan announced that he bad had in his zenana, nurtured from a tender babe, a girl of English parentuge—' a fair lily from the west,' as he described her. He even told his story in detail—how the child was one that had been stolen from her parents, and how, from the very day the ayah bad brought tho infant to the city of Noorjehunpur, he had dedicated her to Yam a.

" Expatitatlng upon this Information, he quoted how predecessors iv his office had spent years in wandering into far distant lands —to Persia, to Armenia, (o Egypt— and after much travail had brought back their victim so that the god be conciliated. He himself, however, had, as it were, by a gift direct; from the god, been enabled to continue iv the service of the temple. The usual proofs, be added, would be duly laid before the 100 brothers, each and all of them, showing that the maiden he was to present as a sacrifice was acceptable to the god as bring from the west, and not of the du-l-y complexion of the race of India. " These," continued Mr Suddleigh, " .ire the essential parts of the Dewan's address so far as the preseut emergency is concerned. As his oration neared its cl6»e, I knew there was nothiug more for mc to do except to make good my escape, so as to mature plana for the re-cue oi my child. With a view to accomplish * hU, I have a proposal to make, and I d >übt not that even at the very eleventh hour we shall succeed." Mr Suddleigh ceased speaking, and Chris brought out one all important remark. "You said, Mr Suddleigh, that proofs were to be submitted as 10 Morabai's birth and race to each and all nf the brotherhood. Wheu that is done, even if the discovery has not been made before; «he fact of one of the hundred being missing will be disclosed."

" I have thought of that." said Mr Suddleigh. "However, this discovery luuat come sooner or later, and we matt be simply prepared to watch the development of events. By this time Hassan will have buried the body of the priest, and hidden away every trace of how he came to his and. Should a search take place we may have to defend our place of concealment if it be discovered. Bnt though the mysterious disappearance of one of their number is certain to provoke immense excitement among the brotherhood they can have so little conception of what has actually happened that they may simply accept the mystery as a mystery, or indeed as some miracle performed by the god himself.. Everything is, of course, uncertain, but we can only take all possible precautions, do our beat and trust to God." {To be continued.)